Overview
The department is the second oldest in the United States. It was established in 1943 as the Department of Police Science by V.A. Leonard. Dr. Leonard founded Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, and was one of the founding members of the organization that later became the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
The department's name was changed in 1975 to the Department of Criminal Justice. The criminal justice department merged with the Department of Political Science in 1982 (becoming the Criminal Justice Program), and was granted autonomous department status in 2011 as the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology.
Criminal justice is a set of policies pursued by private and public crime institutions that promote and seek to sustain control, order, and justice. Students, hence, are required to take courses in criminal justice, public policy, public administration, public law, sociology, research methods, and statistics. The goal is to produce graduates who understand crime and criminal justice policy and who embody the highest academic, professional, and ethical standards in their work and careers.
The department offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees in criminal justice. Students may earn a minor, a bachelor of arts, a master's degree, or a Ph.D. in criminal justice.
Contact Us
Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
Washington State University
Johnson Tower 701
P.O. Box 644872
Pullman, WA 99164-4872
Ph: 509-335-8611
Fax: 509-335-4513
Director:
Dr. David Brody
Academic Advisor:
Sisouvanh Keopanapay
Graduate and Student Records Coordinator:
Dee Dee Torgeson
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